Weather the Storm
by Mystery of the Emblem
Summary: With a severe storm on the way, Tibarn takes it upon himself to usher his people to the safety of Phoenicis Hall. As their king, he takes his duty to protect his people very seriously. It is his hope to avoid any kind of loss, but it is his people who surprise him.


**During Hurricane Irma, we left to go to a relative's more sturdy house. And I had plenty of time to think. Not only have I wanted to write for the hawks again, though I tend to want to do my bigger ideas first, I started to think of where they live, namely, an island. And how it probably sees some pretty rough weather from time to time. That, coupled with some of my own headcanon about Tibarn as king, kind of morphed into this. So... thanks, Irma?**

* * *

Three figures stood on the cliffs of Phoenicis, each watching the horizon. The sea around the island was rough and choppy, with waves several feet high crashing onto the rocky cliff base below them. The sky had grown grey and ominous. Strong winds blew at the three of them, whipping at their clothes, hair, and wings. The hawks of Phoenicis had seen storms like this before, but it was a stressful time.

"The winds are growing more fierce," Ulki muttered. He turned to the tallest of the three laguz. "What do you want to do?"

"Get everyone inside Phoenicis Hall," Tibarn remarked. As king of the hawks, it was his duty to protect his people. He reached out to grab Janaff, the smallest of the trio, as a strong wind nearly knocked him off his feet. "Find Reyson," he ordered, "tell him to get to his father. We might have to move." The heron prince and his father, the last two herons after a massacre in their home of Serenes Forest, had been his guests on Phoenicis for many years. Before the three of them split up, he reminded them to start with the elderly and children.

"Be careful if you have to fly!" he called after them. They nodded their understanding.

Tibarn himself hurried to recruit more hawks to assist them. The faster the hawks were all ushered into Phoenicis Hall, the better. It would also put him at ease. He did not want to lose _anyone_ if he could prevent it.

Gusts blew at his wings as he hurried along the cliff. One as so strong, even he had to stop to brace himself for a moment. He took another look at the skies above before retreating inside his residence. Inside, he found several hawks waiting for him. "We thought you might need some help," one said quietly. "This weather, it's something else."

"It is," Tibarn agreed, relieved to see his people were prepared to do what they needed. "I want everyone here, as fast as possible. Will some of you stay to make sure those who come first don't wander back out in this?" Some would be a challenge to remove from their own homes, and would not be willing to stay where they were told. "Be forceful if you have to," he told the amassed laguz, "but try not to hurt anyone."

As the others began to depart to the lower levels of the cliffs, he watched to make sure everyone was doing their part. As some of his men struggled against the wind, another sound reached his ears. He turned as a female hawk joined them, the wind pushing her almost as much as it did Janaff. He grabbed her arm to prevent her from falling and pulled her close, using his wings to shelter her from the wind.

"Zara, what are you doing outside?"

"I thought - " She shook her head as her purple hair blew in her face. "I thought you could use some help."

"I have plenty," he said gently. "The best way to help me is to get your mother and two of you get inside Phoenicis Hall and _stay_ inside."

"But - " He shook his head, knowing that she would start to protest.

"Don't make it an order, Zara."

He expected her to defy him. Instead, she hung her head and murmured a hardly audible, "Yes, Your Grace." There was no time to scold her formality. He made sure she left before he returned to the work that needed to be done.

His first idea was to check behind the others, to make sure they managed to move everyone. He decided against it, as a check could be done after everyone was alerted about the weather. The first two caves in the cliff side he checked were empty, something that brought relief to the king. In the third, he found Ulki trying to convince a young mother to go with him. She refused, concerned with the strength of the winds. "Aki cannot fly yet, and she's much too small," the tearful mother insisted.

Tibarn stepped forward and reached for the small bird baby. "I'll carry her." The three of them turned at the sound of his voice. Aki appeared to study him with eyes as dark as the sky before she stretched in her mother's arms and tried to go to him. Tibarn tucked her safely into his jacket; only her head stuck out. She gave a small flap of her down-covered wings against his chest. He and Ulki escorted mother and daughter to safety. The baby did not even cry. She seemed unconcerned with the weather around her.

The only protest from her came when Tibarn handed her back to her mother.

She whimpered as her mother thanked Tibarn and Ulki. She smiled before joining a group of females who sat around bowls of berries, gossiping as though a large storm was not upon them. Tibarn stopped to glance around the hall. It was crowded, for Phoenicis. Their population was not huge, nowhere near beorc levels in some of their countries. His gaze swept the room, taking in those that were not accounted for. As he surveyed the room, Reyson joined him.

"Is there anything I can do, Tibarn?" the heron prince asked.

"Is your father safe?"

"Yes."

"Then stay here." If the winds were enough to stagger Janaff and Zara, the heron prince would have no chance if he ventured outside. "Watch out for everyone, let me know if there's any trouble."

Reyson was disappointed, but he agreed to do as he was told. As the heron left, an older hawk motioned for Tibarn from his spot by the door.

"Going to get awful, isn't it?" he asked. Tibarn agreed that the weather did look rather menacing. The older hawk shook his head and said, "I guess it's about time for it, then. Haven't seen a storm this bad since _you_ were small."

Tibarn chuckled and said, "It's certainly been some time, then. Are you all right?"

With a wave of his hand, the other hawk said, "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me, worry about the little ones." He let out a raspy laugh as he watched three young hawks chase each other around the adults. "At least they're not worried about it."

"They're certainly not troubled," Tibarn agreed. He clapped the older male on the shoulder briefly before leaving. As he left, he passed a small group of hawks being hurried into the room, among them a very disgruntled young girl. Her hair was a mess and her feathers were ruffled. Their king also noticed that water droplets clung to their wings. "Has it started to rain?"

"Yes," sighed a voice behind the group. Janaff waited for them to join the others before facing Tibarn. His wet hair clung to his face. "Also saw some lightning on the horizon," he added glumly. "Everyone here?"

"Almost." Tibarn was not going to complain when Janaff asked if he could stay inside. He did not need someone as valuable as Janaff getting blown off the cliffs. Tibarn commanded him to dry himself off before he did anything else, for which Janaff was thankful.

It was times like this when Tibarn was thankful Phoenicis was small in population, but nearly everyone got along with each other. Even if cold rain pelted his face and fierce winds tugged at his wings in an effort to send him off course. Most of the hawks were more than willing to retreat to safety. A few others were not as easy to convince. Some of the elderly hawks said they had seen worse and made it. Others, especially the young, were simply too scared to attempt to leave their own dwellings. It took coaxing and time that the hawk king did not feel they had.

When all the work was said and done, including a quick flyby to see if they had missed anyone, Tibarn and his helpers were soaked and more than ready find shelter and dry clothing. It had taken hours, but it was worth it, Tibarn realized as he rejoined his people in fresh, dry clothing. Deep inside Phoenicis Hall, the hawk laguz population seemed more at ease. The children, some of which who had clung to Tibarn as he carried them to safety, were playing, chasing each other, and giggling, all concerns for the weather forgotten.

Several of them would even take to following him as he made his rounds among his people. His presence was comforting, and not just to the nestlings. Adult hawks who showed signs of nervousness or fear relaxed when he would stop to talk to them. He assured them there was no place on their island safer than where they were.

Food was passed around, mostly fish and berries. Talk was lively, with some hawks even forgetting the ongoing storm. A loud crack of thunder brought the hall to silence. The silence lasted for a heartbeat or two before baby hawks began to cry. Mothers shushed their babies as even a few older nestlings clung to parents out of fear.

"Everything will be fine," Tibarn promised. "A bit of noise isn't going to frighten us, is it?" he asked the trio of young hawks that surrounded him. They looked at each other, grinning and giggling, happy to be addressed personally by Tibarn.

A quiet murmur raised up from the adults. They did not disbelieve their king; the weather simply had more than a few on edge, especially with the horrible thunder.

Reyson looked to the ceiling, though he truly could not gauge the weather. "I hope my father sleeps through this," he said with a sigh.

"I do, too," Tibarn admitted. The older heron, frail, sickly, and bedridden since he was brought to Phoenicis, did not need to concern himself with a storm or the safety of the hawks.

"I asked three guards to stay with him," Reyson added.

Tibarn chuckled. Even the heron seemed a little thrown by the weather. He probably had not seen anything worse than a thunderstorm having lived in Serenes Forest most of his life. "Would you feel better with him?"

"I'll stay here." There was a small hint of determination in his voice. He was stubborn, it was something that had grown within him while remaining with the hawks. Sometimes Tibarn wished he continued to act more like a heron and less like a hawk; other times, he did not mind it so much. He excused himself to make another round of his fellow laguz.

He did not go far when he felt a tug at his jacket. A young girl with golden brown feathers was trying to get his attention. "Will we sleep here?" she asked, her voice quiet and difficult to hear over all the noise.

"Yes," he told her. Tibarn started to assure her that even if the weather calmed, it would be for the best if they remained where they were, but before he could even speak, she thanked him and ran off to play with the other nestlings.

He shook his head with a smile. It must be a treat for the younger ones, staying in Phoenicis Hall. It was almost like a big sleepover. As he walked among his people, he would stop and exchange words with those who sought it. When he came to Zara and her mother, he stopped. He had not spoken to her since urging her inside.

"Everything all right?" he asked the two women.

Mother and daughter sat with their backs against a wall. Zara's head rested on her mother's shoulder. Between them sat a half empty bowl of berries. Neither of them seemed too concerned with the storm. "We're fine," Wenda answered. She glanced at Zara before adding, "Thank you for doing this."

"What kind of king would I be if I did not look out for my people?" He turned to Zara and asked, "You aren't mad about what I said earlier?"

"I'm surprised you did not make it an order," she said.

Wenda chuckled and told Tibarn that Zara had been sullen when she came to her. "I'm glad we came when we did. The wind gusts were terrible; Zara and I had to hold each other steady." It was not hard to imagine. The two of them had been nearly inseparable since the loss of Zara's father to Begnion soldiers. Before leaving them, he reminded them to come to him if they needed anything. Though they said they would, he felt certain that they would not leave their spot.

As the winds howled and the rains fell in sheets, restlessness and boredom were the problems inside Phoenicis Hall. The children had gotten bored with their game of chase. Some had managed to convince Janaff to play with them, which he was more than happy to do. He had the energy and spirit to keep up with them. Time was either passing by too quickly for some, and much more slowly for others. Restless hawks wanted to stretch their wings. Others simply worried what havoc the storm was wreaking.

The only true sign of time passing was the energy of the children. After hours of playing, giggling, and following Tibarn around, slowly, they began to wind down. A pile of exhausted nestlings soon began to form as they dropped off to sleep one by one near Tibarn. He sent someone for blankets to cover them. Adults were starting to grow exhausted as well. Even though there were high winds and low, rumbling thunder, most of the noise was something the adults could drown out as they, too began to drift off to sleep.

Zara and Wenda fell asleep on each other. Mothers nodded off holding their babies. Even Reyson apologized as he yawned and said he would go to sleep in his father's room.

Tibarn and a small portion of the adult hawks stayed up through the night. In the early hours of the morning, the winds faded and the rain ceased. "Should we look?" a young male named Aden asked. He seemed the most alert of the hawks still awake. Others nearly nodded off with their heads propped up on their hands.

"We'll just wait until morning. There's no need to go outside right now," Tibarn told him. "Try to sleep. We'll need our strength and energy in the morning. I can only imagine what kind of clean up we are facing."

Others offered to stay awake for him to allow their king to sleep, but Tibarn turned down the offer. They were his people, and it was his responsibility to ensure their safety. Even if most of them were fast asleep. His eyes grew heavy and his wings drooped, but it strengthened his heart to know his hawks were protected.

Either he did fall into a light doze, or perhaps the king became lost in his thoughts, but the sound of Janaff loudly announcing it was morning startled him. He blinked and yawned. The day ahead was going to be a long one. Tibarn stood and stretched before leaving the hall. Most of the hawks who were awake watched him go before exchanging looks and getting up to follow his lead.

The sky above was a gorgeous pale blue, with only a few wispy white clouds. The sun shone brightly, glittering off the calm sea. A quick look around showed little damage to Phoenicis Hall itself, though the island was littered with debris and dead fish. Mud was thick and slippery, and it was the biggest issue the birds would face. The young hawks were eager to see what sort of treasures the sea had left on the shores other than the fish and seaweed. Shells typically washed ashore, along with the occasional shiny bauble that had been lost to the sea from the beorc ships that sailed the waters.

Janaff, at Tibarn's side, spotted a shipwreck no one else could see. "Should we look?" he asked Tibarn.

"Later," Tibarn said as he stifled a yawn. "Cleaning up the fish and seaweed is more important. They'll begin to smell soon." He started to organize a cleaning crew, but Ulki interrupted.

"I don't believe I'm the only one who thinks you need sleep, Tibarn."

A murmur rose from the gathered hawks. They were in agreement. Tibarn waved away their concerns and said, "Not now. There will be time for that later."

"You'll be no good to us without rest," a young female, Iria, protested. "We can clean up. You don't need to oversee it. No one is going to think any less of you, King Tibarn." The others around her nodded in agreement.

Tibarn was, at first, a little put off by his people disagreeing with him. In the end, he had to agree with them. "A quick nap," he consented, "and I'll be right with you."

"We'll have it done by the time you wake up," Janaff argued. Some of the younger hawks cheered, seeing it as a challenge. Tibarn wanted to laugh. Instead, he shook his head and returned to Phoenicis Hall. He had sheltered his people from the weather, and they were quick to send him to bed! It was both amusing and flattering.

As he entered his private chambers and shrugged off his jacket, he knew Janaff was right. Those who were awake would start the clean up, and as the rest rose, they would join them. He smirked to himself as he stretched out on his bed. His hawks were resilient. No matter the threat, from weather to beorc, they always found a way.


End file.
